The President

"The President" is the 10th poem in The Staff of Ometeotl. I presented The Staff in the library of the University of Connecticut as part of our tour. In 1973 Stephen Rodefer and I read in numerous cities traveling in my little Datsun station wagon with my wife Lenore and my son Joel. George Butterick generously used this poem and the drawing by Lenore Goodell in this handsome 8" by 16" broadside.

Setup drawing for presentation of "The Staff." The 12 poems hang on cottonwood staves and are read through entirely.

Mollycoddle's apron which is donned for the reading of "The President."

Cloth backing for the poem, with burst balloons from past performances and the hanging sawtooth snout that is used to burst the 2 balloons at end of poem.

I appreciate the late George Butterick's interest in our work in setting up the reading performance and thank Lenore for the drawing and the University of Connecticut for this broadside.

larry goodell / placitas, new mexico / 27aug2017

Song - My Father is a New Man - from Brother, by Larry Goodell

holder and "sun" with willow rays
larry goodell

SONG (text only)

my Father is a New Man
he sings forth out of the Haunches      of the Old Woman
his great-great-great-great Grandmother

○

I come again

with one glance

I burn the suits off yr Flesh

you walk before me gray & metallic
I burn the suits off yr Flesh

because it is the person NEXT to you      who 1 renew,
& come down in      the Person who Speaks

Everyone in this ring KNOWS whose suits are burnt OFF
whether they know it or not      knows they are burnt off

& I proceed to enter the air      evade procedures
I am the air & the source of the sun
which rests solidly       on the haunches
of yr great-great-great-great-great Grandmother

believe you me She is moving me
or maternal mover in the spring
comes down in autumn-winter        to bring me back
or she started moving me or I started moving her
in the first place.

○

my Father is a New Man
he sings forth out of the Haunches      of the Old Woman
his great-great-great-great Grandmother



SONG (My Father Is A New Man)    (items for performance)

   (on back of sun disk so it can be read while holding it & moving)

walk to sun disk, forearms crossed right over left, grasp it
my Father is a New Man
moving the disk slowly out of the ring
he sings forth out of the Haunches      of the Old Woman
his great-great-great-great Grandmother
continue moving the disk W, rt elbow lifting over the top of it 
body turning to follow it W
I come again
moving toward picture on W wall
with one glance
I burn the suits off yr Flesh
you walk before me gray & metallic
I burn the suits off yr Flesh
backing off from picture
because it is the person NEXT to you      who 1 renew,
turning with the disk, to face N
& come down in      the Person who Speaks
moving back to center of room while continuing to face N 
Everyone in this ring KNOWS whose suits are burnt OFF
whether they know it or not    
knows they are burnt off
stand still
& I proceed to enter the air      evade procedures
I am the air & the source of the sun
which rests solidly       on the haunches
of yr great-great-great-great-great Grandmother
start moving E
believe you me She is moving me
moving E
or maternal mover in the spring
comes down in autumn-winter        to bring me back
or she started moving me or I started moving her
placing sun disk in  ring, rt forearm over left
in the first place.
let go and stand
my Father is a New Man
he sings forth out of the Haunches      of the Old Woman
his great-great-great-great Grandmother

larry goodell / placitas, new mexico

This poem piece is part of Brother which I put together in 1970.
I have put all of Brother on Issuu the best I can. Please look here. This piece is on pages 50-51.
It immediately led to my Ometeotl Trilogy (still stubbornly unpublished). Much of the Trilogy can be found on my Youtube Channel.